I stood at the center of the death-pit, surrounded with the sizzling gore of the latest trio of F-class monsters that’d been dumped into the arena alongside all those G’s. It had been an ordeal, every few minutes, more monsters would be dumped into the pit, every time I’d finish a wave a new one would be sent in. The buzzard controlling the gates was the bell to signal the next round. The enemies were easy to deal with, individually. But every little slip-up meant another wound, and the more I fought, the further along my body was pushed.
Arms aching, my whole body was scratched to hell, a toother had gotten a bite in during the last round.
AP 87 / 150 Speed 200 Active Achievements: Twitch Muscles Activated Skills: Blades (G:5/10), Shimmer (G:7/10) Passive Skills: Stomach (G:9/10)
Panting a little, I stared in concern at the status-window. My AP was rising like foam, every G-class I killed gave me 3 points where before it’d been 2. And even when I’d picked the skills when killing the F’s, I’d still gotten 3 AP out of each kill. It meant I was carrying nearly double the points than an hour ago. A part of me wondered what might happen if I capped out, but the rest was too preoccupied with the fight. I didn't want to show everything I had, and keeping myself being more conservative in how I battled... or as conservatively as I could given the current circumstances.
The auto-cannons overhead screeched ever so discreetly to keep track of me, a dozen high-definition cameras recording my every movement. My gaze turned to the tunnels, preparing myself to jump at the gate, moving towards the edge of the arena, hoping I’d destroy the bars and-
CLICK
I lunged to the side.
BOOM
The shot had come half a millisecond after, the ground exploding beneath. My ears rang from the echo, bones rattled, jaw clenched. The smoking barrel of the turret glared at me, daring me to try. It wasn’t computer controlled, I knew, when the AI targeting system kicked in the turrets would waver in their aim. Like any low-class distortion-type monster, the shimmer skill made computers and digital imagery distort and bend. It meant the turret relied on human reflexes.
Not that a 25mm canon needed to be very accurate.
I could've started a new mode by now, but I'd held back. I was under surveillance from every angle, watching my every move. No doubt whoever was in charge of this already had an AI measuring how quickly I reacted, moved, and punched. If I triggered a new mode, then my injuries would start healing back up, and at that point... yeah. At that point whoever had control of the canons could opt to take me more seriously, and that wasn't something I wanted.
BZZZZT
One of the gates opened, and a monster jumped down, not needing to be shoved as it ran straight at me. It was a bus-length silver serpent with eight pairs of clawed legs, its body twice as thick as I was, its ruby eyes full of malice.
> E-class, distortion-type & mental-type, Apparition.
The monster’s scales glittered as if made of a thousand shards of glass.
Then, in a literal blink of my eyes, it appeared right in front of me.
I bolted to get out of the way, the giant maw full of knife-like fangs snapping shut, cutting a chunk cleanly out of my arm. With a roar, I moved away, swearing under my breath at the realization of my mistake.
> Do not look at an apparition, but if you do, then don't stop looking at it.
The shimmering scales caused anyone that looked upon them to become stunned the moment they blinked or looked away. To the victim, it appeared as if the monster had suddenly moved closer, in reality, they’d been frozen for several seconds. Clutching my arm, I realized I couldn’t afford to hold back against a high-end E-class, much less keep this fight going while injured. I growled as I threw caution to the wind, I needed to focus on killing this thing before it killed me instead.
Power Mode (2):
* -2 AP / Second *
* -1 Speed / Second *
* +5 Strength / Second *
The bleeding immediately stemmed, the pain drowned under the feeling of muscles bulging out to replace what’d been lost. Snarling, I fought to regain my balance, one eye on the apparition as it hissed angrily, all eight claws digging into dirt as it lunged for another bite.
Even with my speed, the monster was almost too fast to avoid. I barely ducked under, reaching up at its throat, claws digging into flesh and tearing knuckle-deep strips. Its whole body shuddered, forward paws batting me out of the way.
Then I was face-down on the dirt, the chittering hissing sounds approaching fast.
I’d stopped looking.
Shit.
Claws sank into dirt, I pulled myself away from the sound rather than risk leaving myself open for another round of getting brain-stunned.
Charging straight towards the far wall of the dome, my legs burned with the strain, every step carrying me further than the last, preparing myself, paying extremely close attention to that one distinct-
CLICK
My legs bunched up beneath me, I kicked at the ground with everything I had.
BOOM
And I flew towards the concrete wall as the ground beneath me exploded.
I was going too fast.
I smacked against it like a fly into a windshield.
That had gone better in my mind.
Head spinning, I barely managed to sink my claws into the wall before I fell over. With a secure grip-point, I groggily twisted my body around, planting my feet against the concrete. Only then did I look at the approaching apparition as it kept running at me, leaving behind it a trail of bubbling blackened blood.
All three auto-cannons were aimed at me, ready to blast me off if I so much as looked at the exit tunnels the wrong way.
There was no need for that.
Achievement: Reach +200 Adaptative Strength
Unlocked: Concussive Touch
Every blow hits with twice the force. Adaptive Strength at 200! Cap reached!
With a roar, I kicked the wall as I let go, rocketing towards the charging monster. For a moment the world around me blurred, my body twisting midair, fist connecting with the apparition’s jaw.
Bone shattered, skin rent, flesh tore, and the underside of the monster’s head exploded in a rain of putrid flesh. Then my body caught up with my fist and I struck its body shoulder-first, there was a solid thump followed by the massive creature collapsing backwards as we both turned into a heap.
It was not dead, however.
Even in its final throes, its many claws rent at my body just as I hammered away at it, punching, clawing, and ripping out chunks of its flesh until it finally stopped.
Panting, ignoring the stench of rotting monster, I breathed in and let out a roar.
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E-class monster “Apparition” defeated!
+5 AP Pick your Reward!
+10 AP / ‘Shimmer’ / ‘Dizzy’
Charisma 5 -> +6
My back exploded in pain, fresh blood running down my back. Mine. Nearly stumbling over, I grit my teeth, focusing to change modes, there was no longer any room to hesitate. Those cannons had nearly gotten me, and I was not about to make it easy for them.
Toughness Mode (3):
* -3 AP / Second *
* -1 Strength / Second *
* +5 Durability / Second *
Feeling my wounds closing up again, I mentally did the math. I barely had 12 AP, I’d get a good round 20 durability before I ran out.
I spared a glance at the options, and picked shimmer. Immediately a wave passed over me, my thickening silver-like fur began to sparkle, moving as if under an unseen wind. I was rather sure I was much fuzzier than a second ago. This had to be the other aspect of my abilities that I hadn’t had the chance to test since the lab.
‘Shimmer’ Grade: [F] (temp)
True Grade: [G] [9 / 10]
Re-application cost: x10 AP
When picking an upgrade while transformed, I acquired the skill at a grade lower of the owner’s. This didn’t matter when I was getting it from F-class monsters because the skill was already at G grading. But the shimmer I’d just taken was from an E-class… meaning that the activated skill had temporarily upgraded into F.
Immediately, I locked on to the turrets, then moved a single step to the right. The turrets did not move, not until I’d taken a second step, and I noticed they were aiming at the spot one step to the left.
I grinned, staring down at my hands. The “blades” aspect had turned them into armor-like gauntlets, each of them the size of a human’s chest.
Before I could figure out whether destroying the turrets was a viable option, the buzzer went off, opening the gates and releasing a dozen G-class crawlers that had no qualms to run over my way. I was mildly confused at their addition into the arena, but I appreciated the break from the higher-end fighting.
And the points.
Not shutting off the toughness mode, I allowed every single kill to fuel it, making my bones denser, my fur coarser and more compacted, my body meaner. It was as if I was donning armor. Every other second I spared a glance at the canons above, my movements were careful and measured. Though I had the shimmer, the pesky monsters did not. If I made it too blatant, then the person aiming the turrets could realize the nature of my ability had changed. I was betting on the turrets remaining manually aimed rather than through some AI.
I just needed the chance to break through and get out of-
“And now for a few words from our highest-paying viewers!” The speakers crackled to life, I frowned, turning another pouncing crawler into paste with a backhand. “Point at the stupid magubo and laugh.” The voice was clearly an AI reading text, but one word caught my attention.
Magubo.
That was the name Moreau had made-up. Was she watching this!? Guess she finally got that high-definition recording of my powers doing their thing. I restrained the urge to flip the bird at the camera, keeping my attention on the little monsters instead.
“And another from the same viewer!” they said. “Look at that magubo and that stupid face. Monsters can be so dumb, not knowing where the real threat is.”
I frowned up at the camera, growling. There was something off. If this was Moreau, then she seemed to be trying to hide her message. The real threat? My thoughts went back to the shadow... thing. Snarling, I glanced around, but there was nothing there, just the dusty edges of the arena. Was it something else? I could already guess that the gang had a meguca of their own, perhaps they were on their way?
“You can’t hide, but you can find a way out. Better run, little magubo, because the Bear is on her way to finish you off.” There was a pause from the narrator. “Oh wow, they must really hate you mutator-chan! Guess who just got the full-brawl premium!?”
BZZZZT
All the gates opened. I heard the roar of another apparition alongside that of dozens of other monsters, but my eyes locked on to the tunnel I’d come through. Because it too had opened. Whether by mistake of the operator or because a certain someone had fiddled with things behind the scenes, I could only suspect the doctor had done it somehow. I wasn’t about to waste this opportunity. I didn’t hesitate, spotting an F-class in the general direction of the pipe I’d come in through and bolting straight towards it. The monster, a toother, also noticed me and charged, opening its mouth wide enough it could’ve swallowed a human whole. I used both hands to grip its jaw and open its mouth further, ripping the monster in half as I twisted my trajectory towards the exit.
I jumped.
CLICK - CLICK - CLICK
The sound came right as I was already airborne, the blasts far behind me as I soared towards my objective. By the time I’d reached it, the buzzer had gone off, the gate closing, but with me at the other side and bolting up the pipe as fast as my legs could carry me.
It took a good minute of hard running before I slowed down to catch my breath. In the darkness of the tunnel, the only sound was of the auto-cannons hammering away at the arena, undoubtedly killing everything there rather than risk anything else escaping.
F-class monster “Toother” defeated!
+3 AP
Pick your Reward!
+5 AP / ‘Stomach’
I just had it pick stomach as I pounded the ground, running faster.
‘Stomach’ Upgrade Criteria Met
True Grade: [G] -> [F]
Progress: [F] [1 / 22]
I dismissed the prompt, continuing to move ahead. I’d get a chance to analyze everything when I wasn’t ass-deep in gang territory. Eventually I’d made it far enough I couldn’t hear the cannons behind me, but the deep darkness of the pipe was coming to an end. There was light up ahead, artificial light. The roar of idle engines became more and more apparent, floodlights had been propped up, making it impossible to see beyond the pipe’s entrance. The trap awaiting me was obvious, but… should I walk into it?
My options looked fairly limited.
I could head back, test my luck in the arena again, see if I can find a way out through one of the other pipes. That felt about as dumb as it sounded, though. The other option was turning back to my human form and then… what? Pray they didn’t connect the dots?
It looked like my options relied entirely on going out there into what could only be a kill-field.
ᶜˡᶦⁿᵏ
The sound had been so soft I’d nearly missed it.
A shudder ran down my spine, I glanced over my shoulder.
There, as quietly as the first time, was the shadow.
ᶜˡᶦⁿᵏ
Tapping the blade against the concrete it stepped closer, I took a step back.
Was it threatening me? It didn’t feel like a monster, but then again, it didn’t feel like anything at all. If not because my eyes could see it, I would’ve imagined the shadow was not there at all. Every part of me was unnerved at the prospect, a something that had no presence, there was a fundamental wrongness to the concept.
There was something fundamentally dangerous about this entity in a way I could not fully grasp. My body showed that wrongness through a snarl, baring my fangs and claws, every hair on my body standing on its end.
The shadow stopped, head angled up at me, unperturbed, impossible to read blankness staring up at me.
“Fluffy.”
It was a woman’s voice.
The shadow twitched as if shocked it had spoken out in the first place.
Then it vanished.
Coldness trailed down my spine. I hastily looked around me, finding nothing. My heart was pumping faster than when I’d been doing a dead sprint, yet relief washed over me once I could not find the shade. I carefully waved my paw over the area just to make sure, finding nothing there.
Whatever that shade was, I hoped not to stumble upon it again.
Turning towards the floodlights near the exit, I carefully marched forward. As I stepped outside, I was temporarily blinded but remained ready to bolt. Yet rather than be met with a hail of bullets, what greeted me was the sound of rumbling bikes and a slow clap. With my eyes adjusting to the light, I realized the floodlights had not been aimed at the entrance of the tunnel, but rather set up in a circle, illuminating a ring. At the center of the ring stood a woman covered in scars, clapping.
I recognized her. Everyone in Frontier City 02 would recognize the meguca standing before me, covered in scars and tattoos, dressed with just a loose wife-beater shirt, ragged jeans, and her fists covered in bandages.
She was THE Bear.